Apparatus for making grommets



April 10, 1928.

C. W. LEGUILLON APPARATUS FOR MAKING G-ROMMETS Filed July 5. 1924 5 sheets-sheet 1 April 10, 1928. 1,665,853

C. W. LEGUILLON APPARATUS FOR MARIE-JG GROf-IMETS Filed July 5. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 10, 1928.

C. W. LEGUELLON APPARATUS FOR MAKING- GROMMETS Filed July 5. 1924 baa E 5 YZp/ZguzY/un AMA-01 Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

* UNITED STATES 1,665,853 PATENT OFFICE.

CEABLES W. LEGU'ILLON, F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F, GOODRICH COH- IPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01 NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR'BEAKING GBOMIMIETB.

Application filed Jul 5,

i for making the same.

My chief objects are to provide an improved ring consistlng of a Winding of strip material having its convolutions securely anchored to each other, and to provide improved economical procedure and apparatus for making such rings. More specific objects are to provide for concurrently winding a plurality of such rings, for quickly binding the convolutions of each ring together while they are on the winding form, and for easily and quickly removing them therefrom. A further more specific object is to provide a stapling device adapted to be readily and accurately positioned upon a winding drum to clinch a staple about a ring-structure wound on said drum. Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. i is a front elevation of apparatus embodying and adapted to carry out my in vention in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the winding'ziorm or drum, on a large scale, showing means for anchoringto the drum the leading end of the strip to be wound.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. i is a front elevation of part ofthe apparatus shown in Fig. 1, showing the method of severing the strip material from the finished work.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the drum upon which the rings are built, showing the method and apparatus for binding the ends of the winding.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section through the drum and work at the point where the binding means is applied.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the building drum, collapsed to permit removal of the finished work.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the finished work.

Referring to the drawings, 10, 10 are a pair of floor brackets or standards for the winding apparatus, 11 is an auxiliary frame adjacent thereto upon which is mounted timing mechanism for stopping the drive of the winding apparatus at the end of each operation, and 12 is another auxiliary'support or frame upon which is mounted guiding and feeding means for a plurality of parallel 1924. Serial No. 724,446.

ring-forming strips 13. Each of the strips 13 as here shown consists of a continuous,

flat, tape-like structure or woven or braided wire substantially embedded in a tacky rubher compound, the strip preferably being treated with a solvent as it approaches the winding mechanism, to assure good adhesion between the successive turns of the winding.

Journaled in the frames 10 is a horizontally projecting shaft 14;, on the overhanging front end of which is secured a hollow, segmental, collapsible drum 15, the latter comprising an arcuate section 15 formed with an integral radial web 16 and hub 17 arcuate sections 15 15 hinged at 18, 18 to the respective ends of the section 15", and a radially movable, arcuate section 15.' The outer face of the drum is formed with a plurality of parallel,circumferential, square I section grooves 19, 19 of slightly greater width than the strips 13, and of sufiicient depth to accommodate a plurality of convolutions of the latter.

Secured to'and extending inward from the inner wall of the drum-section 15 are a pair of parallel guide-rods 20, 20, which are slidably mounted in respective pairs of alined, apertured, ears 21, 21 formed on the web 16. A pair of spaced apart, parallel links 22, 22, are pivoted on a lug 23 formed on the inner Wall of said drum section, between the guide-rods 20, and a pair of parallel levers 24, 24 are pivoted at their inner ends on a lug 25 formed on the web 16, and near their middle are pivoted to the outer ends of the respective links 22, and are connected at their outer ends by a handle '26, said links and levers comprising an overcenter toggle for moving the drum section 15 radially inward and outward and looking it in either position.

For swinging the drum sections 15 from and toward each other, when the drum-section 15 is in its inner position, one of said sections 15 has pivoted on its rear edge face a lever 27 connected by a link 28 with the other hinged drum-section, the link and lever constituting an over-center toggle for locking the hinged drum-sections in either their innermost or outermost positions, a stop-pin 28 on the link 28 being provided for stopping the lever 27 with the sections 15 in opened out or operating position, as s own in Fig. 1.

For anchoring the leading ends of the respective strips 13 on the drum 15 prior to rotating the latter, the drum-section 15 is formed with a plurality of obliquely dis-' posed apertures 29, 29 therethrou h, intersecting the respective grooves-19 ormed in shown in Fig. 2. The pawls 30 are ivotally mounted on a common rod 31, whic is sup-- ported at its ends in inwardly projecting ears 32,32 formed on the section 15 at its frontand rear ends. Each pawl 30 is provided with a projecting tongue spring 33, and the free ends of sald springs rest upon a rod 34 also supported by the cars 32, said rod being positioned so as normally to hold the nose of each pawl yieldingly in workengaging position. Each pawl is formed with a tail-portion 3O which rests in a transverse groove 35 in a cam-rod 35, the latter being ournaled at its res ective ends in the ears 32, and provided wit a knob 36 on its front end by which it may be manually rotated, simultaneously to disengage the pawls 30 from the work.

The drum 15 is adapted to be driven, in

- the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig.

1, by a motor 37 mounted on the base of the frame 10, through a. reduction gear device 38, the latter including a sprocket 39, connected by a chain 40 with a sprocket 41 secured on the shaft 14. Between the motor and the reduction gear device, the motor shaft is provided with a brake drum 42, and an electrlcally-actuated shunt solenoid brake 43, which may be of any suitable known construction, is associated therewith, for quickly being engaged by one arm of a small bellcrank lever 47, which is pivotedat its elbow I on the switch-box 44, and has its other arm extending into the orbit of a circumferential series of spaced-apart, circumferentiallyadjustable studs or lugs 48, 48 mounted in arcuate slots in a rotatable disk 49.

The disk 49 is secured on a shaft 50 journaled on the frame 11, said shaft also having secured thereon a gear 51 adapted to be driven through .a train of gears 52, 53, 54,

opping the rotation of thedrum 15 at the and 55,'the gear 55 bein secured on a comis rotating, and said gears are 0 suitable relative sizes to roduce such a s eedreductlon between sai spindle and sald diskthat thedistance between the respective studs 48' corresponds to the desired number of revolutions of the drum 15 for winding a particular ring. The disk 49, shaft 50, andgear 51 are preferably adapted to be removed as a unit, so that a similar assembly may be substituted for tli'e winding of a different type of ring. The gear 52 is mounted on an adjustable lever 59 pivoted at the axis of the gear 53, so that said gear may be meshed with different sized gears 51, and also to permit relative angular adjustment of the disk 49 so as properly to position the studs 48 with relation to the angular position of the drum 15.

The auxiliary frame 12 comprises a stationary base member 12", and a movable member 12 slidably mounted on suitable guides thereon. Said member 12 is adapted to be adjusted toward or away from the frame 10, to position the strip-guiding and feeding means appropriately near to winding drums of different sizes which may be mounted alternatively upon the frame 10, a screw 60, for effecting such adjustment, being swiveled in a bearing 61 secured to the base member 12 and threaded through an ear 62 extending downward from the bottom of the member 12", and provided with-a handwheel 63. r

The strip guiding and feeding means comprises apair of parallel, horizontal rollers 64, 65 mounted on the frame 12", the up er roller 65 being. journaled upon the 0 set portion 66 of an eccentric shaft 66, said shaft being rotatably mounted in said frame member 12 and provided at one end with a lever 67 by which it may be angularly adjusted to lower the roller 65 onto the roller 64 to clampthe strips 13 on occasion. the roller 65 normally being in raised position as shown in Fig. 1, with the lever 67 resting upon a stud 67 projecting from the frame member 12", and the eccentric portion 66 of thefshaft 66 in over-center position.

\Vhen lowered onto the strips 13 and roller 64, as shown in Fig. 4, the weight and inertia of the roller 65 is sufiicient to revent recession or displacement of said strips when they are severed from the wound rings, there being relatively little backward pull thereon due to the tension of the strips. The shaft of the roller 64 is provided with a handwheel 68 by which said roller may be manually rotated to feed the strips 13 in unison. toward'the'drum 15, at the beginning of an operation, to permit their ends to be inserted ring to clinch them upon the latter. The

in the respective apertures 29 therein.

For gulding the strips to the rollers 64, 65, a plurality of vertical spaced-apart rollers such as 69 are mounted upon a bracket 70 secured at its ends to the walls of the frame 12", said rollers being adapted to act as side guides for the strips to aline them with the grooves 19 of the drum 15. A horizontal roller 70 is journaled on the frame 12 at the work-receiving side of the guide rollers 69, to support the strips at a proper elevation as they pass between the side-guid ing rollers 69.

For severing the woundrings 71, 71 from the unused portions of the continuous strips 13, a fiat metal bar 72 may be inserted beneath said strips 13 and rested upon the drum 15 while the strips are out against said bar by means of a cold-chisel and hammer, as shown in Fig. 4.

To prevent separation of the convolutions of each ring 71, before it is provided with a cover or incorporated in a tire it is provided with a clamp or staple 73 which substantially encircles it transversely, the strip preferably being severed at such point that the ends of the winding slightly overreach each other, and the staple being applied at such position as to engage both terminal portions of the winding. For applying such staples before the rings are removed from the drum, a stapling device 74 is adapted to be positioned upon the winding drum as shown in Fig. 5. Said stapling device comprises a horizontal beam-like member 74 to one end of which-is rigidly secured a vertical leg 74 adapted to seat upon the surface of the drum as the device is placed in stapling position with relation to successive rings, to position the beam-like portion 74 in substantially tangential relation to the drum. The opposite end of the portion 74 is formed with a suitably shaped vertical aperture, in which is slidably mounted a plunger 74, urged upwardly by a spring 74", and formed with a head 74 adapted to drive the staple 73 when the plunger is forced downward, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, by the blow of. a hammer 74 (Fig. 5). The stapling device is provided with dowels 78, 78, for positioning the plungerwith relation to the work.

For guiding the staples 73 and for crimping them onto the inner periphery of the rings 71, a hardened metal clinching or die plate 75 is inset into the drum 15, said plate being disposed tranversely of the grooves 19, which continue through said plate, and the latter is formed with staple-receiving recesses 76, 76, at the sides of said grooves. (See Fig. 6.) Each pair of said recesses is adapted to guide a U-shaped staple 73, radially with relation to the ring, and to turn the end portions of the staples legs toward each other and onto the inner face of the In the operation of m apparatus, the

drum 15 being substantial y in' the position shown in Fig. 1, the roller 64 is manually rotated to feed the strips 13 toward the drum, and their end portions are inserted into the respective apertures 29 therein, the

same being automatically engaged and securely held by the gripper pawls 30. The

roller 65 is then raised, thus releasing the pressure on the strips 13, and the push button 45 is pressed to start rotation of the drum 15, which winds the strips 13 into the respective grooves 19 of said, drum. The rotation of the drum is automatically stopped, after a determinate number of revolutions, by one of the studs 48 striking the bell-crank lever 47 and actuating the stopswitch within the switch-box 44, the stopping position of the drum being substantially as shown in Fig. 1', with the radially movable drum-section 15 uppermost.

Next the bar 72 is inserted beneath the strips 13 adjacent the clinch plate 75, the roller 65 is lowered to clamp said strips against the roller 64 to prevent their recession, after which said strips are successively severed, as by means of a chisel, as shown, the tackiness of the rubber coatin on the strips 13, and the snug fit of the strips within the grooves 19 overcoming any tendency to unwind therefrom due to the stiffnessof the strip material. Staples 73 are then attached to the res ective rings 71 by means of the stapling cevice 74, after which the drum is collapsed, as shown in Fig. 7, and the rings are removed therefrom. The drum is then restored to its annular form and the operation as described is repeated.

The apparatus is of especial advantage where large production is required, its use resulting in a substantial saving of time and labor as compared with prior practices. The collapsible building-drum, avoiding the necessity of axially separable members for defining the winding grooves, provides for accurate alinement and gaging of the convolutions of the winding. The manner of stapling the wound rings permits rapid production and provides a ring adapted to withstand handling prior to the application of a cover thereto or its incorporation in a' tire. Modifications may be resorted to within the scope of my invention, and I do not limit my claims wholly to the specific form of apparatus shown or to the exact procedure described.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for making endless rings, the combination of a rotatable drum formed with a plurality of individual work-receiv-v ing, circumferential grooves, and means for concurrently projecting forward to said drum in orderly relation the leading end portions of a. plurality of strips of ring forming material.

2. Apparatus for making bead rings for tires, said apparatus comprising a collapsible drum formed with a plurality of individual, work receiving, circumferential grooves in its outer face, means for rotating sa'id'drum, and a pair of feed rolls adapted to feed a set of continuous, bead-forming strips in order-v ly relation toward said drum and to prevent recession of said strips and maintain them in orderly relation when portions of the strips wound on the drum, are cutofi.

3. In apparatus for making endless rings, the combination of a drum formed with a circumferential groove, a pivoted, pawl-like clamp adapted to anchor one end of a strip of material within said groove, and means for rotating said drum.

v4. In apparatus for making endless rings,

the combination of a drum formed with a circumferential groove, means for detachably securing one end of a strip of material within said groove, means for rotating said drum, and means for stopping said rotation after a determinate number of revolutions thereof.

5. In apparatus for making endless rings, the combination of a drum formed with a plurality of'circumferential grooves, clamping means associated with each of said grooves for anchoring one end of a strip of material therein, means for rotating said drum to wind said material thereupon, and means for simultaneously releasing the several said clamping means.

6. Apparatus for making endless rings, said apparatus'comprising a rotatable drum formed with a circumferential groove adapted; to receive a plurality of convolutions of strip material, said groove having its walls recessed to admit a binding staple for said material.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of June, 1924.

CHARLES W. LEGUILLON. 

